The Sweetest Sin
by color.me.lovelessx
Summary: We always want what we can't have, but we still have to try. Eventual HieixOCxTouya, NonYaoi. Don't like, don't read.
1. Arrival

_She's a lover baby, and a fighter  
Shoulda seen it coming when it got a little brighter**  
Dani California, Red Hot Chili Peppers**_

_Chapter One__**::**__ Arrival

* * *

_

She sprinted as fast as her muscular legs could possibly offer, and even then, it was still a challenge. Luck had fell short on her side when she realized she would have to run. Her brother's leisurely style of driving had finally managed to fail for the first time in over ten years. They had finally been stuck in a traffic jam, and she realized she would be late if they had decided to withstand the clog. She left all her luggage in the trunk, and slipped on a rugged pair of gym shoes before evacuating the vehicle. Her brother called after her for good luck as she hastily zipped up her black jacket, almost tripping on her baggy pants. That was how she ended up in the predicament in the first place.

Takune Hiromu had barely managed to enter the opposing college, hoping to catch her breath when she managed to make it into the gymnasium. Her coach had given her a scornful look as Takune dropped her bags along with her teammates. They were already warming up for their events.

"TK, you're late." She looked down in shame before preparing her hair for competition. After it had been tightly tucked into a suffocating bun, every fly away gelled to her scalp, she looked back to her coach.

"Sorry, Ti and I got stuck in traffic, I ended up running here." She admitted with a sheepish grin. Her coach rolled her chocolate hued eyes.

"Just get ready. We're on bars and floor first." Takune nodded, stripping herself of her black warm-ups, and revealing her slender body barely covered by the black, red and white leotard. She started up with the basics, working from handstands into standing fulls. The other girls were already sweating from anticipation, this competition was big. Tokyo University against University of Kyoto. Kyoto _needed_ to win, and that couldn't be stressed enough. Not only that, the Olympics were coming around this year. This was also Takune's last chance to even make that roster, she was getting too old. With nervousness dripping down the back of her neck, she dipped her hands in the ghostly chalk before working on a practice bar. Just basic handstands would have to do for now.

"TK! You're up!" Alarm slapped her in the face until she finally realized what she was supposed to be doing. She breathed deep before lining up at a corner of the spring floor presented to the public. She placed her strong right foot behind her, her arms gracefully forming an elongated loop above her head.

"Takune Hiromu for University of Kyoto." Many claps erupted, now all she needed to was to wait. A boisterous sound of a hushed rock song played, the melody covered by an artist unbeknownst to her. She stepped to the side, reaching for a leap with her arms spread in front and behind her. The moment her right foot found the ground, her body crumbled, rolling in an alluring manner to her next destination. She sat in a table top manner before managing to place her hands on the ground, and lift her body up in a straddle handstand. Squeezing her belly to the core, she managed to pull her legs into a hollow position, and walk to the nearest corner.

Her legs flicked down one by one. As they met, she prepared herself for her first pass. In the middle, she forgot how to breathe. Her back handspring was clean and her whip layout had been high. Now, for the kill. Her petite frame launched too many feet for an average jump, she waited until her body had almost been parallel to the ground, before throwing her power into a twisting bullet. She managed to get around twice. Takune could hear her teammates screaming their heads off at her accomplishment, throwing her double full just in time for the big competition. With a bright smile on her face, she raised her arms up straight, sticking her ribs out to prove to the audience she completed her pass successfully. She took a small side step, her body no longer diagonal. Instead of her dancing, as she was supposed to after each pass, she rolled into a back somersault, pushing herself into a handstand. She smiled at herself before flicking her feet down, then pulling up into a layout step-out. Her teammates all grinned.

She was playing around.

After landing the transitional pass, she twirled around while standing on the balls of her feet, reaching for the ceiling. Takune put a sharp stop before going over the full turn, and pulled her body up again, her legs whipping into a toe-touch. The minute her feet touched the cushion, she repeated the motion while turning towards a different angle. Instead of landing on her feet, however, she landed in a push-up position, and got up in a graceful manner from that. She smiled when she had aligned herself with a new corner, and prepared herself for her next pass. She was hoping this one would really get attention. Taking two steps, she put all of her mite into a high jump, tucking her body to rotate forward. She didn't hesitate to put her hands on the ground to connect her round-off, and again for her backhand spring. This next part was absolutely tricky. She hollowed out her body until it had reached it's peak before pulling her knees to her chest to tuck them in and start her rotation. When the backside of her knees came in contact with her frail hands, she dropped her hip to twist around, landing in the same way she started. Her teammates screamed in shock.

A one and half tucked twist.

That was new.

She smiled preparing herself for her final pass. What else could she possibly throw to impress this crowd, her team, and the judges? The answer lay within her specialty. She let out a breath before a smile spread across her face like a wildfire. She ran three steps forward and thrust as much power as she could muster into pulling her body up, it laid completely board flat while airborne. as it lay straight, she pulled her arms to her chest to execute a tight full twist. It was all or nothing now. After gaining the necessary power from her round-off backhand spring, she used her powerful legs to propel her body up much more than necessary. Her body lay flat as she readied herself to perform a double full. It was quick and almost a complete blur, but that wasn't what had caught everyone's attention. It was the double tuck that had been connected to the same stunt with no pause or break in between. With an elegant smile, she landed almost the same way she started. Her right leg standing strong fully behind the rest of her body, and her arms up in victory.

The worst was over for now, but would resume when it was her turn to take her place on bars. While the opponent from Tokyo was on bars, she smiled as the judges now announced her score average.

9.1.

Takune smiled triumphantly before taking the towel wrapped around her neck to wipe her face.

The competition had been just as eventful as her floor routine, and much to Tokyo's dismay, Kyoto had been proclaimed the winners of the competition. TK ended up winning the gold medal for beam, which was to be expected. Her routines on the balance beam were phenomenal, and were incomparable. She had almost taken home the silver for the floor routine. Even if it wasn't first, silver was much prettier.

* * *

"Not that that wasn't entertaining or anything, but why exactly did you make us watch that Koenma?" The young prince sighed at his former detective's ignorance. Even in ten years, he still had no respect for the prince. The others had been wondering the same question.

"She possesses an item that needs to be retrieved. She will be staying in a hotel for a couple of days to recuperate from the recent competition before she can head home to Kyoto. I suggest you try to retrieve the item before then." Kurama raised an eyebrow.

"That's understandable, but why did you need all four of us?" Koenma looked solemnly at his folded hands.

"I don't like that look…" Kuwabara muttered, neither did the others. All except Hiei. As usual, he just looked disinterested with the current events.

"She comes down from a long line of guardians. These guardians diluted their blood by mating with humans, and continued to do so until their original blood had been almost drained completely. The most recent turn-outs of the family, are Takune and Tikai Hiromu." Kuwabara let out a confused notion.

"Guardian? Like, a demon guardian?" Koenma shook his head with his eyes closed.

"More like a psychic. Her spiritual awareness isn't as sharp as it should be, but her father has no intentions of teaching his children what they should be taught." Koenma paused before motioning for them to all look at the projector screen. Kurama gasped slightly.

"The Refugees Mark," He murmured longingly. "I thought it was only a rumor." Everyone in the room turned to stare at him curiously, even Hiei. He still stared at the mystical jewel, reaching a hand towards the projector. "I spent millennia looking for this fabled stone. They say those who come across it are protected from any form of evil boding." Koenma nodded.

"That's why the guardians were entrusted this stone after its' forging." He let out a cough to re-gather the attention of the now disbanded Rekai Tantei. "The problem is, the guardian who currently possesses is unable to do so because she's unaware of her powers."

"Wait, you mean Takune?" Hiei scoffed.

"Who else, idiot?" Kuwabara shot colorful words to the fire demon, although he continued to stare into oblivion. Koenma growled before slamming his hands on the desk.

"This is no time for arguing!" The much taller man that had towered over Hiei had stopped, a pout still on his face as he paid full attention to the child. "If the Mark even touches tainted hands, the three worlds could be destroyed!" Yusuke rolled his eyes before stuffing his hands in his pocket.

"Been there, done that." He muttered before turning to leave his former boss' office, the Rekai Tantei following suit. Koenma lowered his head until it was resting on his desk. He grumbled soundlessly to himself before putting his hands on his head.

"Get it as soon as possible."

* * *

After sliding in her keycard to her hotel room, Takune dropped her bags by the door, hearing a soft _thump_ as they met the ground. Ti raised his thick eyebrows.

"Do enough shopping?" She let out a light hearted laugh before grabbing a pillow to throw at him. He returned the gesture after she decided to lay on her own full sized bed, the plush pillow hitting her in the stomach. The siblings stopped short of their banter when Takune realized she was still bored. She'd already done some souvenir shopping, what else could she possibly do? Huffing as she pushed herself off the hotel bed, she slumped her way towards the window. She grinned from ear to ear. A park!

"Ti, did you bring my guitar?" She didn't take her eyes away from the beautiful landscape. It looked almost surreal.

"Yeah, it's by our luggage." The look on her face was of unmistakable joy. Her brother really did know her well. With new found happiness, she walked over to their pile of luggage before grabbing her hefty black guitar bag and strapping it to her back.

"I'll be at the park across the street!" She announced, dashing out of her hotel room. Tikai shook his head at his younger sister's attitude toward boredom. Despite the fact that she was 24, she was still a child. Takune's muscled legs pushed her body to dodge traffic from the busy street, her guitar slightly thumping against her back. The park was almost horrifically clichéd, with the sun shining bright and the birds chirping happily in the trees. The water fountain glistened in the sunshine, the edge was a perfect spot to play. Unzipping the delicate case, Takune revealed her prized possession, an average sized acoustic guitar, the body colored black and fading to blue towards the sound hole. This was second to her electric guitar, which she favored more. The guitar sat perfectly on her lap as she pulled out a medium sized pick, fitting it comfortably between her fingers. She began to strum soft chords, the soothing melody enough to aide any ear. She hummed softly, hoping not to disturb her smooth fingers as they swept across the strings. The passing by spectators were mesmerized by the woman, almost as if she had drowned herself in her music. To herself, she probably did.

* * *

"How the hell are we supposed to find this girl?" Yusuke whined as the former Rekai Tantei searched high and low around Tokyo for their subject. "She could be in any hotel in Tokyo!" Kuwabara had agreed with his Jr. High rival, and deemed this mission impossible. Kurama let out a slight sweat drop.

"Now now, it's not impossible," He reasoned. "Think about this logically." The two teenagers had turned to face the semi-sheepish redhead, allowing him to explain. "She just competed at Tokyo University. Since she was able to run a distance there, she must be staying somewhere nearby." Yusuke and Kuwabara just looked at each other, before glaring at Kurama's emerald eyes.

"Shut up." They both spat simultaneously. Kurama rubbed his neck with his free hand, Hiei smirked at the discomfort the fox was currently suffering. That caused the former rivals to look at him.

"You got somethin' to say shrimp?" Kuwabara's attempt at being intimidating had failed, Hiei was impervious. His smirk thickened into a half smile, as a close a smile Hiei could muster.

"In fact I do." His ruby gaze had locked onto Yusuke, making the Mazaku raise a brow. "Are you idiots forgetting about the Jagan?"

Silence.

"Actually…yeah we did." Yusuke admitted. Hiei didn't really use the Jagan all too much while he was in the Ningenkai, only to watch over Yukina in secret. The smaller fire demon closed his eyes in annoyance. Well, he wasn't so small anymore. Granted, he was still the shortest of the group, but he had an exponential growth spurt. The others had been graced to be over 6 feet tall, while Hiei was approximately 5"10. How the former midget had grown almost a full foot, it was unknown. Without a second word, Hiei had jumped to the nearest tree, confining himself within the shadows. He pulled at his white bandana, allowing the Jagan to open itself to the world. He faintly remembered what the girl had looked like, but not down to the last detail.

She didn't have something significant about herself. Stomach length black hair, cobalt blue eyes, and slightly tanned skin wasn't exactly prominent. What else had Hiei noticed that would help them find her? She didn't have any significant clothing, and he couldn't sense her ki since he wasn't even sure what hers felt like. Wait, her piercings! Although she hadn't been wearing her jewelry, it was almost impossible for the fire demon's pristine vision to miss the holes that delved in her ears. Three going up the right lobe of her ears, two on the left. She had two other ones, but he was unsure of their names, considering they were placed on unusual areas of her ears. After a thorough scan of Tokyo, he hopped off the tree and back to the team.

"She's in a park, sitting on a fountain with something in her hands." Everyone turned to stare at him in wonder. He had taken longer than he normally would have, but it had been slightly more difficult considering he wasn't accustomed to her ki. Without another word, Yusuke lead them to the nearest park, noticing the crowd gathered around the water fountain.

"Hey Urameshi!" His orange haired companion pointed ahead. "Over there!" His towering figure had managed to point out her deep black locks above anyone else. He hair was neatly tucked behind her right ear, revealing four earrings as Hiei had seen before. The smile on her face was infallible as she strummed her midnight acoustic guitar. The four of them pushed their way to the front of the crowd, finally taking in the girls appearance and signature ki. There was a faint glow around her, bathing her body in a soft blue. The men stared in awe. Her eyes were closed as her fingers were splayed along the wooden instrument.

"Takune Hiromu?" She looked up at the former Spirit Detective with question glistening in her cerulean eyes. His demeanor was harsh and slightly cold, but his eyes were warm and inviting.

"Yes, who are you?" As her fingers stopped, the crowd began to disperse, much to the Rekai Tantei's luck. TK placed her guitar back in its' case and returned her pick to its respected pouch before giving her undivided attention to the men before her.

"We'll tell you later, but first," He snatched her wrist, his large hand enveloping her small hand. "You're coming with us." Anger flared inside of her. Who the hell did they think they were!? With a sharp growl, she took her wrist back before taking her strong hand and slapping him across the face. She was angry beyond belief. You don't just walk up to someone and demand you come with them! The tallest of the group had begun to guffaw at the sudden strike

"She's like Keiko!" He claimed making her raise a tweezed eyebrow. The redhead of the group looked at Takune with all the gentleness he had to offer.

"Excuse them Takune," He started, offering his hand for her to shake. She took it with hesitance. "My name is Kurama. The one you struck was Yusuke." TK nodded once in understanding, too bad she really didn't care.

"I'm Kazuma Kuwabara!" The tall, and loud, one shouted. "But you can just call me Kuwabara." The shortest of the group, shrouded in black, simply scoffed.

"She should just call you 'Buffoon'." The raven haired girl bit her lip to pass off her small giggles. Kurama continued introductions while the buffoon continued to yell at the much shorter man.

"That's Hiei." She nodded to Kurama before lifting her guitar on her back for it to rest securely.

"And as you all know, I'm Takune Hiromu. But I must bid you all a good day." Her sarcastic tone boiled Yusuke's blood to an unbearable temperature. He could always just grab her and get Botan to open a portal and have them leave. But no, he decided to be chivalrous today and allow her to come with them as long as she didn't argue with them. What a load that turned out to be. With a growl, his hands enveloped her built shoulders, pressing his fingers into her skin like sand.

"Listen you!" He shouted in her face, making her eyes widen in surprise. "You're going to stop being a bitch and you're coming with us!" Her sapphire orbs darted around the park, why was no one coming to her rescue? Did everyone else sense the ominous foreboding, or was it just her? The redhead placed a hand on his friends' shoulder, making Yusuke stare up at Kurama. He was silently asking to allow him to try. With a disgusted grunt, Yusuke let go and stood alongside Kuwabara and Hiei.

"Takune," She looked passively to Kurama. "We need you to come with us, for your safety. Is that alright?" TK smiled, her whitened teeth glistening in the setting sun. She nodded her head, her smile still abroad.

"Alright then. And for the record Kurama, you can call me TK." Kurama turned his moth upward into a silent smile. So not all of them were bad. The men had allowed her to drop off her guitar in her hotel room, thankfully Tikai had been sleeping like the peaceful big that he was. Despite the fact that they were ushering her to leave, she managed to find some blank paper and a pen to leave a note for her elder.

_Tikai,_

_Girls night out with some of the other teammates that stayed here.  
I'll be back later,  
Drop a line if you need me!_

_TK_

Takune wasn't sure where they were going, but wherever the location was, it was at least pleasant to a degree. She managed to see the good side of Yusuke, and apologized for her rude behavior; she didn't trust strangers all that well. Kurama had various civilized conversations that Yusuke and Kuwabara would join in on. She learned that Hiei was just a very anti-social person, and decided she didn't really need to talk to him anyway. Those that she did converse with seemed to be very interested with her earlier events taking place at Tokyo University. It almost felt like an interview.

"Were you nervous while you were out there doing your flippy thingies?" She laughed light heartedly at Kuwabara's way of phrasing his question. In her much less verbal answer, she nodded her head before adding,

"It's always nerve wracking before performing. But when the music starts, it all just fades into oblivion." Everyone fell silent, if they weren't already, at her statement. It really didn't just seem that easy. "Are we almost there?" Yusuke turned to look at her from his towering height. He was well over a foot taller than her, his height escalading to 6"9. From the look of it, TK was only 5"7.

"Yeah, we're here." He looked to the even taller, although not by much, Kuwabara. "Open up, buddy." He mumbled colorful words under his breath in response as he pulled out a key, entering his lone apartment. Yusuke nodded to all of them as they gathered in the living room. From his pants pocket, he pulled what appeared to be a compact mirror and clicked it open.

"Hey Botan, get a portal!" A higher pitched voice screamed nonsense of how insensitive Yusuke was, and other things of that nature until he finally clasped the compact shut. "Crazy woman." He muttered. A black portal opened right in front of them, making TK more than a little skeptical about taking a step inside. Kurama chuckled at her reaction.

"It's alright," He offered her a hand, open and waiting for hers to be placed inside of it. "Let's go." Hesitantly, she placed her trembling hand in it, the warmth of his enveloping her own.

"I think that thing distorted my head." Kurama and the others chuckled, while Hiei grunted.

"If it hurts that much, then you shouldn't be here." He snapped, Takune's eyebrow arched. If she could recall correctly before the head distortion, she hadn't ask to come here. Oh well, whatever his problem was, it was _his _problem, not hers. When we dawned across large doors with a brand looked like two E's back to back. Yusuke busted right through with no intentions of knocking.

"Alright diaper brain, we got her." He announced. They arrived upon a desk, with a baby furiously stamping a large stack of papers. TK wanted to laugh at the sight, if he didn't look so darn frustrated. For a fleeting moment, the infant looked up, his large brown eyes welled with concern.

"Thank you very much Yusuke," He even disregarded the fact that Yusuke called him 'Diaper Brain'. "You may all leave now." Without another word, they filed out of the office, and left her face to face with this toddler. His tiny hands were clasped together, his chocolate brown eyes were drowned in a mixed emotion that she couldn't differentiate. He cleared his throat, making her cerulean eyes lock with his.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Takune Hiromu." She sucked in a small breath at the sound of her name, curiosity wandering freely in her psyche. "I have very important business to discuss with you, regarding you, your family, and your history." She wanted to raise her hand, feeling like she was back in elementary school.

"If I may ask," TK knew when to be polite, and now was definitely the time. "Why can't the others be in here? I'd feel much more comfortable-"

"I can call them back in here, but after we discuss something only between us."

"And what would that be?"

"Confidentiality regarding The Refugees Mark." TK raised her eyebrows in utter confusion. What the hell was 'The Refugees Mark'? It sounded like a historical factor, almost like a scar caused to give freedom to slaves or something. Yet…it sounded morbidly interesting.

"What's that?" She voiced to Koenma, who actually seemed to have patience with this girl. His tiny fingers pushed the button to a remote, mechanical whirring sounded from behind her. Her azurite gaze locked with the projector screen, finally taking in the familiar onyx gem. It glinted from the light, refracting the rainbow and colors in between that were unbeknownst to her.

"Do you recognize this gem?" He inquired, his patience not faltering. Without answering, she began to take off all seven of her earrings, each of them slightly resembling the onyx gem before her. Koenma's eyes glittered at the fabled stone. The original Refugees Mark, said to be the size of a standard adult eyeball was splayed across his desk, broken into different sized fragments. The stone had become accents to this girls jewelry? If it weren't such a legend, it would have been humorous.

"My dad made me all of these earrings after I got all of them pierced." Takune pointed to her own ear, Koenma took in all of the holes. Had her father anticipated it to be this way? Or had he just found it as a good hiding spot for them? Koenma nodded before guiding all the jewelry together, a sudden ki arising. So that was her fathers idea.

"No wonder nobody's been able to find this…" He murmured longingly, the energy engrossing him with marvel. "When they're divided and not touching, their ki is almost undetectable." TK was unsure of what to make of this. Her earrings had their own energy? Since when did they have their own lives? Koenma's eyes snapped to her ocean gaze, making alarm surge in her veins, he commanded she put them back in. One by one she put them in, starting with her five lobe earrings, then her helix, and finally her tragus. The infant in front of her cringed as he could hear slight crunching noises from the cartilage holes. He cleared his voice.

"You can all come back in now!" The boys from earlier filed in, all lining up around Koenma's desk. To their eyes, nothing had changed at all. Takune's shady blue eyes were still glistening and Koenma still looked slightly troubled. In all honesty, he wasn't sure what to do with the girl. He was aware that the Mark was detectable, although it was very faint. TK hadn't had any sort of training or knowledge of her ancestors, of her guardians. Koenma hadn't bothered sugarcoating anything, and dropped the ball immediately.

"The Marks' fairytale is quite a renowned one, although many of the recent inhabitants have long forgotten it. It started with a demon who mated a human psychic that became a target because of that deed." Most of the room had fallen silent, Kuwabara and Yusuke stopped their breathing. "In turn, the demon sought after a substance much stronger than diamond. It took him many years to finally mine the raw material, and search after an enchantress to give the stone the power it has today." Takune took the moment to fiddle with her earrings, the refracted rainbow catching the various eyes of the Rekai Tantei.

"He gave this stone to her to protect her while he was away, but the night the demon returned, the stone had ended up mutilating him because it felt it's demonic energy. The woman had spiraled into deep depression after her child was born. Despite the demon ki the child had, the stone felt the purity in it and excepted it. Shortly after, the mother died. This child was the very first guardian born. After that, the first guardian mated with a human to dilute their demonic blood. The current guardians have almost nil demon blood." Koenma's eyes locked somberly with Takune's.

"Those guardians, are Tikai and Takune Hiromu."

* * *

**Author Note: **It's been a really long time since I wrote a YYH fic, forgive me if it's horrid. And for some clarity, Takune's name is pronounce Taku-nay. and Tikai's nickname is Ty, just spelt differently. If you aren't sure what a Helix or a Tragus piercing is, a Helix is a standard cartilage piercing at the upper part of the ear. And a Tragus is that little flap attached to your head. My apologies if you don't understand 'Gymnastics Lingo'. It's not a major feature, but it does give the character some background. If the characters are too OOC for your liking, too bad.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, or any other publicly recognizable characters, places, objects, etc. I do, however, own the plot, Takune and Tikai, and The Refugees Mark.


	2. Break

_So what would you have to say for asking who you really are?  
Oh god, I want to know  
Just a little truth down here.**  
Last Chance, Cartel**_

_  
Chapter Two**::** Break

* * *

_

Shock pooled in Takune's blood. There was no way she was this…guardian thing. She was a college student back in Kyoto on the gymnastics team. She was in her final year of basic college education, and was hoping to move into the medical field. Her and Ti were just two siblings, simply living their normal lives.

They were _not_ guardians of any sort.

"I have no idea what you people are talking about, so if you don't mind, I'm gonna head back to my hotel and pack up for my lea-" A hand encased itself around her frail wrist, not allowing any sign of breakage. Hiei, she recalled, had a glum expression and threw her back into the line up. She grumbled and cursed him mentally for keeping her locked in here.

"If you don't believe me, then let's put this to the test." Koenma stood up on his desk. "Take out all of your earrings and gather them together so all the stone fragments touch." She did as she asked, the others waiting patiently for all jewelry to be removed. They were all gathered in her hand, the onyx Marks touching each other, it sent a slight electrical feel to her bones. "Now, everyone try to touch Takune." She wanted to protest, but the hands refracted from her as fast as they came. TK inspected the hands around her, all of them had small burn marks, save for Kuwabara.

TK immediately closed off her hands, hoping the earrings shifted away from each other. "What just happened?" She hissed softly, her navy eyes locked with Koenma's.

"The stone protected you." His short answer was not what she wanted to hear, she needed details. "When unfamiliar types of energy come near you, the stone reacts it by putting up a barrier around you." Okay, that made some sense. They all were strangers, but that didn't explain why it didn't burn Kuwabara's hand like the others. "Unless you trust that person with their energy, the stone will react."

"So why didn't it burn Kuwabara!?" Yusuke howled in frustration. It didn't hurt that bad, but it just seemed unfair to the others.

"He was the least lethal threat. The stone reacts much stronger towards demonic energy." Yusuke continued to grumble underneath his breath while his former rival just gloated in the Mazaku's face. With a strong growl, Yusuke directed a blow to Kuwabara's face. The childish brawl between the two didn't really seem to disrupt Koenma, as the child prince simply ignored their banter.

"Koenma," Kurama interjected. "You said the stone reacts to unfamiliar types of energy. If that's the case, then why did the stone kill the demon who forged it?" Koenma hummed softly, but had no real response.

"Because when the stone undergoes a new owner, the recognition resets, right?" The others turned to stare at TK, who looked sheepish for her outburst. The others just looked at her expectantly to explain on her speculation. "Intuition." She murmured. The prince just cleared his throat before continuing.

"The reason I asked you all to find her," He gave them a dramatic pause. "I need you to train her in various arts. She needs to know how to guard the stone so she can pass it on to her children and teach them to be guardians."

"But we don't know how to be guardians." Kuwabara argued. Hiei stared at the tall orange head incredulously.

"Did you really just ask that?" Before another argument could break out, Koenma intercepted the attention.

"Please, I'm asking you all for this as a favor for humanity. Only the guardians know how to control the Marks' power, and she can't control it without basic training." TK blinked. Why did this all have to concern her? They were practically discussing everything without her, so why did she have to be here? Yusuke and Kuwabara verbally voiced their complaints, stating how they were done with the whole spirit detective business.

"Can't I just give the stone to someone else?" Koenma shook his head.

"Anyone else who has it will either unable to or will be killed in the process. That was the reason guardians were born into this world in the first place." Takune grimaced. She didn't like this whole guardian business, and it didn't help that these guys didn't want to help her. This was dumb, she just wanted to go home! Was that such a big deal?

"Look, how about I leave you guys to discuss this? I don't mean to bail or anything, but Tikai's gonna notice I'm missing, so yeah." Koenma nodded before opening a portal for her, Yusuke and Kuwabara's mouths dropped open. She was able to leave of her own free will when this was _her_ business!? Unbelievable! The boys all watched as her slim figure disappeared into the portal, and was transferred to God knows where.

"What the hell Koenma!? This is about her and you let her leave!?" The dark haired teen screeched to the toddler. Despite the fact that the situation was a little less than pleasing, the others weren't as voice opinionated as their former leader.

"It's up to you guys now. She's accepted her fate as a guardian, but now she needs trainers."

"I'll do it." The others looked at Kurama's thoughtful expression. Of course he would be the first one to cave.

"I guess I will too." Kuwabara muttered, earning a sneer of 'Traitor' from Yusuke. He wasn't going to cave in so easily. He was sick of running to this child's aide when he was no longer his employer. Hiei definitely wasn't going to. He had better things to do than to baby sit a confused child. Koenma looked to his former employee expectantly.

"Yusuke, are you really just afraid to train a young girl?"

"I'm not afraid!"

"Then train her!"

"No!"

"Do it and I will never ask you for another favor, unless it pertains to saving the human race." Yusuke actually liked the idea of that, although somewhere deep within his subconscious, he knew Koenma would still ask for favors.

"Fine." With a triumphant smile, the child prince sank back into his chair. He was well aware Hiei would never give into the idea of training a human girl. Yet, he knew that since the others were doing it, they would end up asking him anyway. He smirked inwardly, knowing to just leave it be for now.

* * *

Tikai had still been asleep when Takune returned to her hotel room. With a breath of relief, she crumpled up the note she had left earlier, so sure as to not raise suspicions from her older brother. She pulled out her pajamas from her luggage, heading to the bathroom with her mind clouded by previous events. Her raven hair cascaded down the side of her face, illuminating her olive like skin. As overwhelmed as her mind was, her emotions were still displayed as complacent. She learned so many things in just a single day, starting from her history down to life lessons.

Lesson number one: Stop assuming everyone who approaches is friendly. That includes tall redheads named Kurama. There were others to come, but so far, that had been the only one concluded at this moment in time. Her thoughts had been drowned in her reverie, she failed to notice her aching body until it touched the firm mattress. Her thighs and calves throbbed in soreness, her arms mimicking the action. Her eyes fluttered open and closed, threatening to burn with sleep. With a moments prayer, she wished for a peaceful sleep, without the disturbance of nightmares and foul dreams.

The rustling sound of plastic bags meshing along the perimeter of the room had disturbed her dreamless sleep, the blackness fading to deformed colors. TK's body throbbed in pain as she forced herself to sit up, realizing her body to be clenched and tightened from being sore. Tikai was busy packing what little possessions had been unpacked. Heat rushed in her veins as she realized the blankets were constricting the cool flow of air from the surrounding room.

"Morning sunshine." Ti chirped with a sarcastic bite in his tone. Her cobalt eyes clenched from lid to lid, blocking out the blindingly bright light from her surroundings. They adjusted to the intensity of the light, despite the shade her eyelids provided, until TK was finally able to open her eyes and take in her surroundings. Her brother had everything packed up, and was simply waiting for his younger sister to awaken so they could take their leave. With an agonizingly slow pace, she stood from her hotel bed, dragging her feet across the linoleum. Her cottony pajama bottoms sagged along the tile as she strutted towards her luggage, pulling out clothes that lay on the surface. A pair of jeans shorts, along with a pink scoop neck Gilly Hicks tank top and a gray Roxy grunge zip-up hoodie.

"All ready?" Ti asked as TK packed up her pajama's back into her luggage and slipped on a plain pair of white flip flops. She gave a brusque nod before grabbing her own set of luggage, dragging it behind her as Ti led the way. He loaded up the trunk of his Sports Utility Vehicle, his sister fleeing towards the passengers seat and fiddling with the iPod dock, plugged into the auxiliary cable. She grinned, selecting a play list at random, the familiar beat flooding her ear drums. Her brother rolled his eyes at the selection as he started the ignition, pulling out from the parking space.

"_I'm gonna break your little heart_," She sang along with the upbeat chorus, a smile etched among her honey tanned skin. "_Watch you take the fall, laughing all the way to the hospital_." Car rides were always some sort of adventure when Tikai was behind the wheel. They'd done everything from exploring random and undiscovered territories to launching fireworks out the back window, to off-roading in construction sites. They always played loud music with the windows rolled down, strange faces passing by and giving them awkward glances. Takune would usually be dancing in the front seat, while her brother would be sharing stories about the military. She was thankful he was on a break for a while, she loved hearing about his hard work and dedication, all the while having fun at the same time. The two were an inseparable duo, and the separation had been hard on them. The highway wasn't brimming with traffic, due to the time, and cruising along at half speed had been a thrill.

"_Can't you help me? As I'm startin' to burn._"

"_Too many doses and I'm starting to get an attraction._" Takune laughed; her brother was no singer. Granted, everyone in her family was a type of virtuoso, but singing was not Tikai's muse. He was more of a drummer kind of guy. We shifted gears and flew along the pavement, the trees and scenery fading to shapeless forms. The rest of the ride had been rather uneventful, no joy pertaining to either sibling in the front seat. Tikai would be going back to the military soon, and Takune would start spring break in a few weeks. A small grimaced found a way along her lips as she buried her thoughts in her reverie.

"Dad?" The bulky man sat at his elevated art desk, a thin sheet of paper taped at the corners and a t-square hanging off the right end. His left hand was guided by a triangle, leveling the lines into a perfect straight shot. Tikai brought in the luggage with no struggle at all, while Takune searched for their middle-aged father, currently residing in his office. She noticed he was deep into his work, his head resting in his right hand, through the glass French doors. Her slender hand tugged the elongated door knob down and pushed the door open with a small amount of force. Her father jumped slightly at the sudden intrusion but, thankfully, hadn't damaged his project.

"Hey Dai*," He opened his arms for a hug, that she returned gratefully. "Good job at competition. Sorry I couldn't come." She nodded in understanding, although her eyes were drawn to his current project at hand. It seemed to be a building of some sort and off to the side where the schematics of in the interior.

"What's this?" He shifted in his chair before facing his desk again, Takune sitting in his lap like they had done many years before. The thin, mechanical pencil in his left continued to sweep across the page, new lines adding shading and depth to the building. She herself was very familiar with art, and had continued to take courses from high school to college; her dad was proud to see his knack for fine arts had rubbed off on her. TK tilted her head slightly to the side, trying to take a guess as to what the design had formed. It looked like a standard two story building, a balcony resting above what looked like a garage with no actual garage door. In its stead, it seemed to look like a café, with stairs in the back that probably lead to the second story. On the side of the open garage door, a sign read "Heaven-scent Bakery" from top to bottom. Takune grimaced at the name. She repeated her question, her father sighed gravely in response.

"It's for mom." Her eyes stared closer at the detail of the 2-D model, there were glass showcases, makeshift pastries depicted through the glass. Above the glass counter was a classic cash register, with little cheap treats off to the side that littered the counter. Beside that, there was another, much taller glass display, housing much larger delicacies such as cakes. Above that, there was what looked to be a small chalkboard, hosting a sort of advertisement. It really was her mother's dream.

"Your almost done with college," Takune's father started, his eyes still ensnared by the off-white sheet, his pencil scratching in more and more lines of detail. "And you're going to need a place of your own for awhile." He dropped his pencil, soaking in the overall landscape. "So I want you to take care of your mom's bakery, in addition to the home." She could have wept right then and there. Takune had only known her mother until the age of four, yet still held the ability to remember that far back. She just woke up one day, and her mother was gone.

"Daddy, what ever happened to mom?" Her small voice brought back nostalgic memories of their youth, his eyes shut. He never did plan on telling either child the truth of their mothers absence, and was afraid when one would ask. The simple answer of "She's gone," wouldn't suffice them anymore. There was no short ended response that could simply provide the answer.

"I…I-it's something I can't talk about, Dai."

"Why not?" Takune was going to push the truth out of him, one way or another.

"It's a really…complicated story." Her slender fingers brushed along her air, tucking it behind her ear. All the onyx gems glittered in the small lamp light, catching her dad's eye; she did it to the other ear. Her father took in the site of The Refugees Mark and all its glittering glory, debating the consequences of the truth. The pros had outweighed the cons.

"Before you say anything dad," She fiddled with her earrings. "I already know the story. Just tell me what happened to mom."

_"Good job! Now can you read this for me, Takune?" The child pushed her chubby fingers to the page, trying to find a place to start. She made incoherent gurgling noises, trying to form the words that she already knew how to say._

_"'I'm all ou' o' hunny'" Winnie da Pooh says.'" A large smile paraded over her mothers' lips, curling into her gums. Her daughters' soft, soprano voice was just the jelly to her peanut butter. _

_"Winnie the Pooh wants something sweet, does Takune want something sweet?" Her smile brightened at the word 'Sweet', her tiny pebbles of teeth glinting in the light. She nodded her head vigorously, sugar appealing to her more than the story had. "Well then, I'll get started." Her mother gave her a swift kiss on the cheek, her chap stick leave an invisible mark in its place. In her stead, her father sat down. With the same lopsided grin, Takune began to read to her father, just as she had been previously doing with her mother. The warm, inviting scent of chocolate distracted the young toddler, a sudden craving building in her stomach. The smell continued to manifest the air until it drew to the point where it began to choke her, the desire becoming unbearable. As she was about to break, her mom walked back into the dining room and placed a platter of chocolate chip cookies, and three glasses of milk. Trudging footsteps thumped down the stairs, Tikai's face lit up at the site of the delicious desserts. At age eight, he poured himself a glass of milk and joined the rest of the family in the dining room._

_The moment was practically cliché._

_They were all laughing together, Takune was wiping her face free of crumbs with the back of her hand. Tikai had been dipping his own treat into the nutritious liquid, and their father had finished reading them Winnie the Pooh. If today wasn't perfect, than tomorrow would be for sure. Tomorrow, December 17__th__, would be Takune's fifth birthday. Birthdays were always a site to behold in the Hiromu household, albeit they threw parties. Their mother would always bake a tiered cake, and their father would always cook a full family feast in honor of the new age, tomorrow was nothing different._

_"Alright guys, time for bed." Tikai had gone up the stairs, off to take a shower. Takune was carried up by her mother to a second bathroom, and ran the water to lukewarm, the perfect temperature for her. Her mother cleansed the bacteria on her body, making sure to get every nook and cranny. TK splashed the occasional foam bubble, the suds exploding onto her mom while she laughed and drained the liquid from its confinement. She got dried off and dressed into her fluffy pajama's, and tucked away for the dreams to chase her into a blissful sleep._

_The parents had decided to retire for the night, their father sketching out schematics for a project he had been recently presented with. After swiftly changing Into her pajamas, their mother laid in bed beside him, watching his pencil dance swiftly along the page._

_"I've been thinking," He paused from sketching, fiddling with the onyx gem dangling from his neck._

_"Uh-oh, don't hurt yourself now." He scowled at his grinning wife, who took his much larger hand into her own._

_"I was thinking of giving Takune the Mark." _

_"Are you sure?" She finally replied after a long moment of silence. He nodded, placing his sketch on the nightstand to be recollected in the morning. Albeit his rough and calloused fingers, he managed to unclasp the necklace from his neck, fingering the onyx gem in front of his face._

_"I was given this at age five. For some reason, it's tradition for my family to pass it down to the youngest, and I want to pass it down to TK." She said nothing in response as he rambled aimlessly. The couple laid down, side by side with their bodies entangled lovingly, each reflecting their lives in some sort of reverie and eventually slumber manifesting its way into them._

_The following day, after many preparations for Takune's birthday, the table had been set and the birthday cake had been made. Everyone had been dressed up nicely, ready for any attempts at a photo op that could pop up at random. Everyone ate dinner together, their dad using the camera at hand to his advantage to snap funny shots of the family while eating, earning various scolds from his wife and even his kids. Their mom had brought the cake from the fridge, the decoration and quality details awing the children. The candles were lit ablaze, the contrasting shadows deepening on TK's face as she prepared her annual wish. With every ounce of air her little lungs could allow, she blew the five candles in one puff, the shadows fading back to their original state. Mom cut the cake and distributed pieces to family, while Dad stood up. Once again, he unclasped the medallion from behind and dangled it along Takune's face._

_"Dai, happy birthday," Her eyes ogled the trinket, the light breaking into an unnamed rainbow. "I want you to have this. Be very careful with it, and don't give it to anybody." He gave her his instructions while closing the necklace behind her head, letting her hair drop down. She nodded vigorously, excitement beaming in her eyes with bits of frosting around her small pink lips. Her cake had diminished to the best of the small child's ability, about a third of the piece still left uneaten. She exclaimed at how delicious the cake had been and how great the presents were as their mother came around, picking up plates and silverware to clean. _

_"Oh darn." She muttered as she bent to pick up a fork beside TK's chair, the child looked down._

_"Momma?" She reached her small chubby fingers towards her, faintly touching her back. That's all Takune could remember before she had been shrouded in darkness, and failed to awake until the following week.

* * *

_

"I-I killed m-mom?"

"No. If anything, it was all my fault," Takune managed to notice the few tears that streamed down her dads face. "I was ignorant, and had forgotten to allow time for the Mark to adjust to those you were familiar with." They were dug too deep into their grave memories, only for themselves to blame. And, for the first time, Takune saw her father cry. No, calling it crying would be an understatement, he _wept_.

The anguish and the sorrow that had stricken the two had been numbed by the plate of cookies and the full gallon of milk in front of them. Their conversation had seized, the sound produced only by the flickering television set adjacent to their current sitting situation. She could have easily blamed her father for her mothers death, but she knew much better than that. If anyone was to blame, it would be the demon who forged this, it was his fault the Refugees Mark had even been brought to the world. Yet, she just wasn't that kind of person. Or maybe she was, but she felt she deserved all the blame considering she was the one who touched her mom last. There was too much going on, she decided, as tears of confusion slipped down her face. Her head rested against her father, albeit she knew she would have trouble finding sleep at night. Hopefully, her lack of conscience would tell her that everything's fine.

Playing catch up was never something any student of any age enjoyed. It involved wasting a day of free time, whether or not one was sick or just playing hooky. That was the trouble of being an athlete, especially one of college level, there were so many things to balance. Yet, each and every one seemed to manage just fine. Her head thumped as she tried to find the solutions to her problems, but everything just failed to come to mind. Too much had been plaguing her mind, she needed some sort of distraction. Anything would do really, even cleaning up around the house. Takune knew that procrastinating really wasn't ideal, but she needed a break from her already emptied mind. A snack would help her think, right? She fixed herself up a sandwich, making sure to focus only on the task at hand to prevent her mind from drifting. Her task had been completed, and as she was about to take her first bite, the doorbell rung, jumping at the sudden disturbance. Subconsciously, she went to answer it, with her turkey sandwich still in her right hand. Her eyebrows perked as she was met with two boys that she had a couple nights ago, but they were the only ones present.

"You gonna eat that sandwich?" Kuwabara asked. She glanced at it briefly before offering it to him, a grin lighting up on his masculine features. Yusuke rolled his eyes, his deep chocolate hued eyes boring into Takune's cobalt gaze.

"Is there a particular reason to your visit?" Her voice sounded empty and hollow, a reflection as to how she felt at the moment. She scooted over slightly, allowing the two boys entrance into her home. They took up on her offer graciously, although all three had remained silent.

"We need to talk." Takune blinked as Yusuke, her eyes absolutely lifeless and dark.

"Sure." The boys slipped their shoes off, and followed the slender girl towards the nook, residing in it was a small breakfast table that was often used more than the actual dining room itself. Kuwabara had finished his sandwich, and was now deftly preparing his and Yusuke's proposal. "What's up?" She asked casually, as if the pair before her had been her friends her entire life. They were all aware that that had been a flat out lie.

"Let's cut to the chase," Yusuke stated, prompt and short as usual. "Koenma wants us to train you so you can control your guardian powers." TK blinked, hearing the word guardian had frozen her fingers stiff, the flooded thought of killing her mother roamed in. The memory was only like a battery, constantly working until the power would run dry. Her lip turned white as she bit it, tears cresting to amplify the ocean color of her eyes. Kuwabara nudged Yusuke gruffly, immediately catching the site of a tearing girl. The former Spirit Detective was stricken with panic.

"Wait, don't cry!" Kuwabara announced, flocking to her side. The tears cascaded down her rosy cheeks, a natural trait inherited from the woman she loved to death. Yusuke reciprocated his partners actions, fleeing to her free shoulder.

"I can't be a guardian." She choked, covering her mouth as the violent sobs rattled her teeth. The two men just stared at her, then at each other. They hadn't been prepared for this at all. It had been narrowed down to two options; either TK would question it and come calmly, or she would try to fight them. Neither expected her to bawl in such a childish manner.

"It's your job." Yusuke reminded brusquely, earning a small glare from Kuwabara. His friend never did act very chivalrous.

"Then I am responsible for the deaths that come along with it, am I not?" Again, the two friends looked at each other, unsure of how to answer the girl. Kuwabara, as sensitive as he was towards women, had been able to note that Takune did not sound like herself. On their first encounter, she held a much sharper edge, but now her defenses were down. She was sitting here, bawling in front two strangers that she had only met the other day. When she noticed neither had answered, she answered it herself.

"I killed my own mother with this stone," She sobbed into her folded arms, her back heaving as she tried to breathe through her cries. "I'm not fit to guard it."

More footsteps approach, but TK didn't lift her head; she couldn't. She was just simply too weak in general to even simply flex a finger, she was just a plain child.

"I knew we should have just taken her by force." A deep voice spat, the two boys looking at the hallway where their reinforcements had entered from. Hiei had his hands buried deep into his cloak pockets, Kurama's tucked away in his own. Kuwabara glared to the height impaired fire demon.

"Are you kidding me!? She's a wreck right now!" Kurama had taken gentle steps toward the woman, crouching beside Kuwabara.

"We heard as we came in." He murmured nostalgically, imagining if he had killed his own human mother. The thought that he actually could infuriated him. Hiei looked in disgust as his other companions tried to comfort the girl. It was a disgrace to know that she had a trace of demon blood in her; _she _was disgrace. With his steps light and unnoticeable, he made his own path towards TK, clearing the others away from her. His hand gripped her skull, nails digging into her scalp, and brought her to eye level with him. Her eyes were swollen and red, the orbs darkened to navy.

"Death is a part of life," Hiei stated calmly, intricate as to reassure he wouldn't crush her skull while shock emanating from the others at his bluntness. "You deal with it and move on." Yusuke grimaced before taking TK by the shoulders, her head snapping to him out of reflex.

"I hate to say it, but Hiei's right." He let her go when he was sure her attention had been undivided by the others. "A death occurs every day, and you can't save everyone. But," He brushed her hair behind her ears to inspect each and every individual section of the Mark, each one having its' own special signature to it. "If you learned how to control your powers, you could prevent death from your hand." Kurama nodded in agreement.

"Yusuke is right Takune," She turned to the redhead, her sobbing waning down to gently streaming tears. "We decided that Genkai should train you, and after training under her, yours and the Marks' power should be under control." Kurama's small smile was enough reassurance and convincement. She raised her frail, shaking finger to her eyes, removing the traces of tears still staining her face.

"But," Her voice croaked, the others looked slightly alarmed at it. "I still have school for a couple weeks before I go on Spring Break." Kuwabara nodded, ignoring that Hiei was glaring at him from behind him for agreeing with the girl so quickly. The sooner she got training, the less time he would have to spend here.

"Same here, so I guess we should wait until Spring Break?" The other two nodded. They were both vaguely aware how seriously Kuwabara took school, it was almost hard to believe that he used to be a punk always hoping to duke it out with Yusuke. He hardly ever got to visit Yukina.

"What are you studying for?" TK asked the ginger curiously, his buff appearance not disturbing her in the slightest.

"Veterinary, you?"

"Physical Therapist." Kuwabara shuddered, making Yusuke, Kurama, Takune and even Hiei stare at him. "What?" She asked, almost too politely.

"I heard you have to dissect a human." His face paled, even more than it already was, while the others had let out a chuckle. "That's not funny Urameshi! I'd like to see you skin a human, and then cut open the insides!" Takune laughed before holding a up a hand before conflict could break out.

"You do, but not until you start trying to earn your PHD for it." The thought seemed to soothe Kuwabara a bit, albeit not very much. An innocent girl, skinning a human and than continuously cutting around the insides wasn't exactly an appealing thought. TK chuckled slightly as his discomfort, it was common when the rumors had spread about the college courses of Physical Therapy, although none had ever really bothered to ask her. Maybe this was what she needed for the moment, just a break from society. TK didn't just need it from school and work, she needed it from life.

* * *

**Author Note:** This was a kinda hard for me to write. I'm trying not to rush the plot or anything, but my mind tends to fail me. When I thought of the whole 'TK killing her mom' thing, I just **had** to get to my computer and start writing it. Good? Bad? Review? :D

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, or any other publicly recognizable characters, places, objects, etc. I do, however, own the plot, Takune and Tikai, and The Refugees Mark.


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